Prevalence of psychological stress among health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic – A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) exposed to COVID-19 are at increased risk of developing mental health problems. This study aims to access the prevalence of psychological stress among HCWs during COVID-19 pandemic. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of psychological stress among HCWs during COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs working in a tertiary care teaching hospital. A total of about 100 HCWs who participated in the study were randomly distributed prestructured questionnaire pertaining to sociodemographic parameters and variables related to psychological stress and their responses were graded accordingly. Results: It was found that HCWs showed significant rise in psychological distress with moderate-to-severe elevated levels of anxiety (69%), depression (21%), and insomnia (41%). Nurses were significantly more likely to experience anxiety than other HCWs in our present study and the most of the participants were engaged in some form of stress reduction activities. Conclusion: The high levels of psychological distress were reported in HCWs in hospital dealing with COVID-19 patients. Increase efforts are needed for promotion of mental health well-being of HCWs exposed to COVID-19